Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

It was dark at night, and a bonfire was lit in the Wanyan army camp near the mountain stream. Figures sat silently in front of the fire, their faces filled with sadness but also determination. Amid the crackling sound of the fire, someone whispered a few words to the soldiers and walked towards the central army tent.

A voice was heard in the big tent.

"We've lost too many men, Commander." The burly Wanyan Chanchun stood in the military tent and waved his arms vigorously. "Three hundred men from my tribe died in one battle. If such a heavy loss happens twice, there will be no men left in my tribe to fight."

"So do we."

"Yes, Marshal, the Qi bandits are too numerous to fight against."

Amidst the chaotic chatter, Wanyan Loushi silently looked at the Meng'an and Mouke below, narrowing his eyes slightly. Before he could speak, someone walked in from outside.

"General." Meng'an, named Wuyan Puhanu, walked in, clasped his fists and saluted. He raised his head, the gold rings on his ears shone, and the semicircle formed by the two braids behind his head swayed slightly. "The mood in the army is a little low, but we are also confident that we can defeat the Qi army."

The faces of several Moukes who had just spoken suddenly turned red. They did not dare to open their mouths to refute, but just lowered their heads with a somewhat unhappy look.

Wanyan Loushi's tense expression relaxed and he nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. Please take a seat."

Wuyan Puhanu hurriedly expressed his gratitude. He was only sixteen years old and had just inherited his father's posthumous titles of Meng'an and Qinguan Mouke. However, he did not have a specific official position in the army and was considered a general who followed the army and obeyed its orders.

Wanyan Chanchun didn't look at him, but said to the figure in the commander's seat: "General, the next battle should not be like today's wild battle with the Qi people. My father was even shot in the back and can only lie still now. This..."

"No." Wanyan Loushi interrupted the young man who was talking and shook his head: "In today's battle, I found that most of the Qi cavalry were new soldiers. They are different from the Qi army that we fought a year ago. They must be the new soldiers they recruited this year."

He glanced at the people below and said, "Most of the warriors who were killed and wounded today were killed when we attacked their military camp. We had the upper hand in the subsequent field battles, so you don't have to complain here. If everyone is unwilling to fight or withdraw their troops because of the casualties, we don't need to discuss it here. We can just go to the Qi army and surrender."

Several military commanders opened and closed their mouths slightly. Wanyan Chanchun's eyes wandered. He was Wanyan Shitumen's eldest son and the next chief of the Yelanlu Wanyan tribe. He did not have the same ambition as his father. In his mind, many tribal warriors had been killed in the last war between Qi and Jin, and then they had fought with Wanyan Sheng for years. Now, two thousand cavalrymen were all their assets. Not to mention that they were all lost in the war with Qi, even the loss like today was enough to make him sad.

Wanyan Loushi stood up and put on a gentle expression: "I know that many warriors of your tribe have been killed, and Bojilie also knows that we are in trouble. However, in times of crisis like this, we need to work together. You are all relatives, allies, and even blood relatives of the Wanyan tribe. You should understand what the Han people say, 'If one suffers, we suffer together; if one prospers, we prosper together.'"

Seeing that Wanyan Chanchun and the others did not say anything, he nodded gently and said, "Everyone is tired today, go back and rest first, and we will discuss everything tomorrow."

The generals looked at each other, then made a confused response and turned to leave.

Wanyan Huonu walked to the door and saw that everyone had gone far away, then she turned back and snorted: "They are all a bunch of short-sighted people. Even in this situation, they still don't work together, and are still calculating their own gains and losses. They are not considered Jurchen warriors."

Wanyan Loushi was about to sit down, but when he heard this, he looked up at his son and sat down: "What nonsense are you talking about? You and I are both extremely passionate, how can we ask others to die for us? This is the norm for the tribes in the past. It's just that I, your father, am not a good speaker, so persuading people..."

Shaking his head, he took a breath and sighed, "What a pity. The Jin Kingdom was only glorious for two or three years. If Du Bojilie was still around, there would be no need for me to do so many things."

Thinking of the past, Wanyan Huo Nu didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a while she managed to say, "Then if my father leads these people to fight against the Qi army now, can he win?"

"This is not something you should consider." Wanyan Loushi shook his head, then looked at his young son: "You must be tired from exploring everywhere these days, go and rest."

"Oh, then the kid is leaving."

Wanyan Huo Nu responded and walked out of the tent. Wanyan Loushi touched the iron helmet with a circle of wolf fur on the table with one hand, pondered for a moment before getting up, reaching out to grab the scimitar, holding the iron helmet and walking out of the tent. In the darkness, footsteps were heard, and Wanyan Huo Nu, who had just left, came over with the help of a figure. The campfire was far away, so it was not clear who was being helped.

Wanyan Loushi raised his eyebrows, stopped, turned around, and saw the two people in his sight walking into the light. His hands holding the scimitar suddenly tightened.

"Send two people to help Xi Shi into the big tent." He turned around and entered the big tent again, put the iron helmet on the table, and stood there waiting for people to come in.

The two bodyguards at the rear obeyed the order and hurried forward to help hold up Wanyan Xishi. Seeing that he was too tired to move his legs, one of them grabbed one of his arms and led him into the big tent.

"Great... Marshal."

Wanyan Xishijin suddenly struggled to break free from the two guards, staggered forward two steps and knelt down: "Ningjiang Prefecture is full of Qi cavalry, and my men were scattered before they were 20 miles away from Huntong City. Except for me... all the scouts who went with me died in the battle."

Wanyan Loushi immediately stepped forward, bent down and grabbed the man's shoulder: "What are you talking about? What happened to Huntong City?"

Wanyan Xishi smiled bitterly: "I don't know, but the area around Ningjiang Prefecture was full of Qi cavalry. I fought all the way to the riverside and stole a small boat before running back. What was the situation there..." He lowered his head in shame: "I don't know either. Please punish me, Marshal."

Wanyan Loushi opened his eyes wide, and subconsciously exerted force with his hand. Wanyan Xishi uttered a sound of pain, then woke up and let go of his hand. He turned and walked to the table, then walked back with a thump: "What about Daru Ancient City? How about Daru Ancient City in the west?"

"I don't know..." Wanyan Xishi said in a bitter tone, dejectedly: "I ran all the way, surrounded by Qi army's warning arrows, I had no idea which direction I was going. After crossing the river, I found that I was not far from the camp, about twelve or thirteen miles away."

"What happened..."

Wanyan Loushi's face turned pale, and Wanyan Huonu, who was listening nearby, also looked uneasy: "Dad...what should we do now?"

"Wu Dubu (Wanyan Ang) is at fault. Why didn't you tell me about the surprise attack by the Qi army?" He walked a few steps in the tent with his hands behind his back, then stopped and looked at Wanyan Huo Nu: "Hurry up and go to the city to find your uncle Dalai and tell him that the food supply has been cut off. Tell him not to spread the news yet."

"Yes."

Wanyan Huonu responded and ran out quickly.

Wanyan Loushi looked at Wanyan Xishi again and said, "Don't tell anyone about your return yet, lest the army's morale be shaken. Otherwise, we will all become prey to the Qi people's knives."

Wanyan Xishi nodded with a bitter face. He also knew that the matter was urgent, so he went to find Wanyan Loushi first.

The commander nodded and looked at his guards: "Take him down to rest. Don't let anyone get close to him unless necessary."

He also comforted Wanyan Xishi: "I will let you out after I have discussed with Shi Tumen Meng'an. You should have a good rest first."

The young general had no objection and allowed his personal guards to help him and take him to a tent to rest.

The night deepened, and for some people, it was another sleepless night. (End of this chapter)